Grease dispensing head

ABSTRACT

A grease dispensing head for a miniaturized hand grease gun is provided herein. The grease dispensing head comprises a cylindrical cap having a passage formed upwardly therethrough. A cylinder is transversely mounted on the cap and has a bore formed therethrough which is valved at the forward end and which communicates with the passage. A saddle straddles the cylinder and has a piston secured to the rearward portion; the piston extending forwardly into the bore. The saddle is reciprocated by an actuating handle rotatably secured to the cap and to the forward portion of the saddle. A spring normally retains the piston in said bore rearwardly of the passage.

United States Patent Dorn [54] GREASE DISPENSING HEAD [72] Inventor:Chester Dorn, Spencer, Iowa [73] Assignee: Superior ManufacturingCompany,

Spencer, Iowa [22] Filed: June 19, 1970 [2]] Appl, No.: 47,708

[52] US. Cl "222/256 [51] Int. Cl. ..G0l1' 11/00 [58] Field of Search....222/256, 380, 383,494;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,650,744 9/1953 Dirksen..222/383 1,784,260 12/1930 Walstrom.. ...222/257 X 3,131,646 5/1964Parrott ..l37/525 X [451 Apr. 4, 1972 3,393,840 7/1968 Sundholm..222/256 X Primary Examiner-Robert B. Reeves AssistantExaminer-Frederick R. Handren Att0rney-Henderson & Strom [57] ABSTRACT Agrease dispensing head for a miniaturized hand grease gun is providedherein. The grease dispensing head comprises a cylindrical cap having apassage formed upwardly therethrough. A cylinder is transversely mountedon the cap and has a bore formed therethrough which is valved at theforward end and which communicates with the passage. A saddle straddlesthe cylinder and has a piston secured to the rearward portion; thepiston extending forwardly into the bore. The saddle is reciprocated byan actuating handle rotatably secured to the cap and to the forwardportion of the saddle. A spring normally retains the piston in said borerearwardly of the passage.

11 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures GREASE DISPENSING I-IEAD BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION This invention relates to a grease dispensing head forminiaturized hand grease guns. This grease dispensing head isparticularly adapted for use in light duty greasing jobs where onlysmall quantities of grease are required.

Grease dispensing heads for small grease guns have been describedheretofore in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. Sundholm, 3,393,840; Dirksen,2,650,744; Sundholm, 3,209,957; Malec, 3,291,350; and Engseth,2,435,647. These grease dispensing heads and the grease barrels attachedthereto have generally been cumbersome and required the use of bothhands. In addition, the mechanisms were generally complex, expensive tomanufacture and difficult to assemble.

The grease dispensing head of this invention is of simple constructionand can be completely assembled with one elongated rivet. This greasedispensing head ls essentially trouble free and can be manufactured witha minimum of machining operations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a grease dispensinghead for it hand grease gun comprising a cylindrical cap having apassage formed upwardly therethrough and, on the external periphery, aforwardly extending handle securing means formed thereon. A cylinderhaving a bore formed therethrough which commw nleates with the passagein the cap is transve sely mounted on the cap and aligned with thehandle securing means. Valve means i secured in the bore forwardly ofthe passage and an actuating handle is rotatably secured intermediateits ends on the handle securing means. The handle provides a downwardlyextending finger grip section and an upwardly extending bifurcatedsection straddling the cylinder. A saddle also straddles the cylinderand extends rearwardly thereof, the forward portion of the saddle hasmeans formed therein for receiving the bifurcated section of the handle.A piston engages the rearward portion of the saddle and extendsforwardly thereof into the bore of the cylinder. A spring normallyretains the piston in the bore rearwardly of the passage.

It is a general object of this invention to provide a grease dispensinghead for a miniaturized hand grease gun of novel construction.

Another object is to provide a grease dispensing head that can beassembled with a single rivet.

A further object of this invention is to provide a grease dispensinghead that has a minimum number of moving parts and which can bemanufactured with a minimum number of machining operations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of thegrease dispensing head of this invention secured to a grease barrel anda grease applicator pipe.

FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating, in phantom, the movement of thehandle and the saddle. A portion of the grease barrel is cut away toillustrate the plunger assembly therein.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the grease dispensing headtaken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the grease dispensing head with thelower portion of the handle cut away taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a magnified view of the valve means in a closed position.

FIG. 6 is a magnified view of the valve means in an open position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings,the grease dispensing head of this invention is indicated generally at11 in FIGS. 1-4 secured on a grease barrel 12. The grease dispensinghead 11 comprises a cap 13 having a passage 14 (FIG. 4) formed upwardlytherethrough and a forwardly extending handle securing means 16 fonnedon the external periphery thereof. A cylinder 17 (FIGS. 34) having abore 18 formed therethrough is transversely mounted on the cap 13 andhas valve means 19 (FIGS. 3, 5 and 6) secured therein. An actuatinghandle 21 is rotatably secured on the handle securing means 16 andengages the saddle 22 which straddles the cylinder 17. A piston 23(FIGS. 3-4) is engaged at the rear of the saddle 22 and extendsforwardly into the bore 18. Spring means 24 normally retains the piston23 in the bore 18 rearwardly of the passage 14.

More specifically, the cap 13 (FIG. 4) is of cylindrical configurationand is internally threaded for securement to the grease barrel 12. Agasket 26 is provided inside the cap 13 to sealingly engage the greasebarrel 12 and the cartridge 27 contained therein. A passage 14 isupwardly formed through the cap 13 to allow grease to flow from thebarrel 12 into the bore 18. On the external periphery 28 of the cap 13,a forwardly extending handle securing means 16 is formed. As shown inFIG. 4, this means 16 is generally a lug 29 having a hole 31 formedtherethrough. The handle 21 is rotatably secured to this lug 29 by anelongated rivet 32 (FIGS. 1 and 2) extending through the handle 21 andthe lug 29.

A cylinder 17 (FIGS. 34) having a bore Ill formed therethrough istransversely mounted on the cap 13 and aligned with the handle securingmeans 16. The cylinder 17 is mounted at a small acute angle to the cap13 with the forward end 33 (FIGS. 1 and 3) of the cylinder 17 beingslightly raised. The bore 18 communicates with the passage 14 to allowgrease to flow from the barrel 12 into the bore 18.

The forward end 33 (FIGS. 3, 5 and 6) of the cylinder 17 has a slightlylarger bore thereby forming a forwardly facing shoulder 34. Thisshoulder 34 acts as a support for the valve means 19. The forward end 33of the cylinder 17 proximate the shoulder 34 is tapped to receive athreaded grease pipe assembly 36 which secures the valve means 19against the shoulder 34.

The valve means 19 secured between the shoulder 34 and the grease pipeassembly 36 can be of conventional type comprising a steel ball and acoil spring (not shown) as illustrated in Sundholm, U.S. Pat. No.3,393,840. However, it is preferred that the valve shown in FIGS. 5 and6 and fully explained in the copending application of Dom, Scr. No.22,306, filed Mar. 24, I970, entitled Positive Displacement Valve forGrease Guns, be utilized herein in conjunction with a valve retainer 37.

The valve means 19 comprises a circular valve retainer 37 adapted toabut the forward portion 38 of the shoulder 34. A bore 39 is formedthrough the valve retainer 37 and has a diameter less than the diameterof the bore 18 through the cylinder 17. The valve 41 is formed fromresilient material and is generally integrally formed. The valve 41comprises an outer member 42 of cylindrical configuration having arearward edge 43 and a forward edge 44. The forward edge 44 is engagedby the grease pipe assembly 36 and the rearward edge 43 is engaged bythe valve retainer 37. A web 46 extends inwardly of the outer member 42and is secured to the inside surface 47 of the outer member 42. A stop48 is formed on the web 46 centrally of the outer member 42 and extendsrearwardly into the bore 39 formed in the valve retainer 37 andrearwardiy of the rearward edge 43 of the outer member 42. This valve 41is explained in detail in the application previously cited, thedisclosure of which being incorporated herein by reference.

When the piston 23 is moved forwardly, pressure builds up in the bore 18until the valve 41 is forced open (FIG. 6) which allows grease to flowthrough the perforations 45 formed in the web 46. When the piston 23 ismoved rearwardly, a partial vacuum is formed in the bore 18 and thevalve 41 is closed (FIG. 5).

An actuating handle 16 (FIGS. 2-4) is rotatably secured intermediate itsends 49 and 51 by a rivet 32 to the handle securing means 16. The lowerend 49 of the handle 16 is a downwardly extending finger grip sectionhaving a generally U-shaped cross-section with the bottom of the Udirected outwardly to provide a smooth surface for the fingers. Thefinger grip section 49 extends downwardly along the barrel 12 and itsposition with respect to the barrel 12 varies as the piston 23 movesforwardly and rearwardly in the bore 18. The lower end 49 of the handle16 is biased to a forward position by spring means 24 as shown in FIG.4.

The upper end 51 of the handle 16 is bifurcated and straddles thecylinder 17. The upper end 51 comprises two anns 52 and 53 (FIGS. 3 and4) which straddle the cylinder 17. The topmost portions 54 of the arms52 and 53 are of arcuate configuration and slidingly fit into the saddle22. These arms 52 and 53 are parallelly disposed at substantially rightangles to the periphery 28 of the cap 13.

When the lower end 49 of the handle 16 is pulled rearwardly, the saddle22 moves forwardly as does the piston 23, and the spring means 24 iscompressed. When the lower end 49 of the handle 16 is released, thespring means 24 forces the piston 23 and saddle 22 rearwardly andreturns the lower end 49 of the handle 16 to its original position. Ofcourse, grease is forced out of the grease gun during the forward strokeof the piston 23 and the bore 18 is refilled with grease on the returnstroke.

A saddle 22 (FIGS. 3-4) straddles the cylinder 17 and extends rearwardlyof the cylinder 17. The forward portion 56 of the saddle 22 has means 57formed therein for receiving the bifurcated end 51 of the handle 16.

Specifically, the saddle 22 as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 comprises aU-shaped member 58 having a base 59 and two legs 61 and 62, and a topmember 63. The base 59 is disposed rearwardly of the rearward end 64 ofthe cylinder 17 and the legs 61 and 62 are longitudinally aligned withthe cylinder 17 The top member 63 is utilized to secure the free ends 66and 67 of the legs 61 and 62 together and extends between the uppermostportions 68 thereof. Preferably, this top member 63 is also of U-shapedconfiguration with the legs 69 and 71 extending downwardly along theinside surfaces of the legs 61 and 62 of the first U-shaped member 58.The legs 69 and 71 have cutouts 72 and 73 formed therein for receivingthe topmost portions 54 of the arms 52 and 53. The cut-outs 72 and 73are of generally the same arcuate configuration as the topmost portion54 of the arms 52 and 53.

A piston 23 (FIGS. 3-4) engages the base 59 of the first U- shapedmember 58 and extends forwardly thereof into the bore 18 of the cylinder17. Preferably, the piston 23 is rigidly secured, as by welding, to thebase 59 of the U-shaped member 58. The piston 23 is machined toslidingly fit within the bore 18. Additionally, the piston 23 helps tomaintain the saddle 22 in the correct position relative to the cylinder17.

Spring means 24 is utilized to normally retain the piston 23 in the bore18 rearwardly of the passage 14. The spring means 24 is generally a coilspring 74 having two ends 76 and 77 which encircles the piston 23. Oneend 76 of the spring 74 bears against the base 59 of the U-shaped member58 and the other end 77 generally bears against a rearwardly facingshoulder 78 formed on the rearward end 64 of the cylinder 17.

This dispensing head 11 is readily and quickly assembled. The coilspring 74 is disposed over the piston 23. The piston 23 with the saddle22 attached thereto is inserted into the bore 18. The spring 74 ispartially compressed by forcing the saddle 22 forwardly. The topmostportions 54 of the arms 52 and 53 are slipped into the cut-outs 72 and73 in the legs 69 and 71 and, finally, the rivet 32 secures the handle21 to the handle securing means 16. The valve retainer 37 and the valve41 are then inserted into the forward end 33 of the bore 18. The entiredispensing head 11 is secured together by the single rivet 32.

To complete the grease gun, a grease pipe assembly 36 is threadablysecured in the forward end 33 of the cylinder 17 and abuts the valve 41in the bore 18. The grease pipe assembly 36 is of conventionalconfiguration and manufacture.

The grease barrel 12 (FIG. 2) is threadably secured to the cap 13. Thebarrel 12 is of cylindrical configuration and has an open top 79. Thelower end 81 of the barrel 12 can be permanently sealed as shown. Aguide rod 82 extends through the barrel 12 and a plunger 83 is slidablymounted thereon. The plunger 83 is urged toward the dispensing head 11by coil spring 84. The barrel 12 is adapted to use a cartridge 27 orbulk-filled grease.

Although a preferred embodiment has been described, it is to beunderstood that various modifications may be made without departing fromthe invention as defined in the appended claims.

Iclaim:

l. A dispensing head for a hand grease gun comprising:

a cylindrical cap having a passage formed upwardly therethrough, saidcap having formed on the external periphery thereof a forwardlyextending handle securing means;

a cylinder having a bore formed therethrough transversely mounted onsaid cap and aligned with said handle securing means, said borecommunicating with said passage formed in said cap;

valve means secured in said bore forwardly of said passage;

an actuating handle rotatably secured intermediate its ends on saidhandle securing means, said handle providing a downwardly extendingfinger grip section and an upwardly extending bifurcated sectionstraddling said cylinder;

a saddle comprising a U-shaped member having a base and two legs, saidlegs being longitudinally aligned with said cylinder, said base beingdisposed rearwardly of said cylinder and secured to said piston, theforward portion of said saddle having means formed therein for receivingsaid bifurcated section of said handle, said bifurcated section of saidhandle being secured in said means;

a piston engaging the rearward portion of said saddle and extendingforwardly thereof into said bore of said cylinder; and

spring means normally retaining said piston in said bore rearwardly ofsaid passage.

2. The dispensing head of claim 1 wherein said saddle includes a topmember secured between the uppermost portions of said legs proximate thefree ends thereof.

3. The dispensing head of claim 2 wherein the forward end of saidcylinder is tapped to receive a threaded grease pipe.

4. The dispensing head of claim 3 wherein said spring means is a coilspring having two ends, said coil spring encircling said piston with oneof said ends bearing against said base of said U-shaped member and theother of said ends bearing against said cylinder.

5. The dispensing head of claim 4 wherein said handle securing means isa forwardly extending lug.

6. The dispensing head of claim 5 wherein said upwardly extendingbifurcated section comprises two upwardly extending, parallelly disposedarms, the topmost portion of said arms being of arcuate configuration;said arms being disposed at substantially right angles to the peripheryof said cap.

7. The dispensing head of claim 6 wherein arm receiving cut-outs areformed in the free ends of said legs for receiving the arcuate topmostportions of said arms.

8. The dispensing head of claim 7 wherein a forwardly facing shoulder isformed in said bore of said cylinder proximate the forward end of saidcylinder and proximate said tapped portion of said cylinder.

9. The dispensing head of claim 8 wherein said valve means comprises:

a circular valve retainer adapted to abut the forward portion of saidshoulder and having a bore formed therethrough, said bore in said valveretainer being of lesser diameter than said bore through said cylinder;and

a resilient, one piece valve comprising an outer member of cylindricalconfiguration having a rearward edge and a forward edge and formed fromresilient material; a web formed from resilient material and havingperforations formed therethrough, said web extending inwardly of saidouter member and secured to the inside surface of said outer member, astop formed on said web centrally of said cylindrical outer member, saidstop extending rearwardly of the rearward edge of said outer member andextending into said bore formed through said valve retainer.

10. The dispensing head of claim 9 wherein a rearwardly facing shoulderis formed externally of said cylinder on the rearward portion of saidcylinder and adapted to secure the forward end of said coil spring andwherein the lower portion of said cap is internally threaded forengagement with agrease barrel.

11. In a miniaturized hand grease gun, the combination comprising:

a cylindrical barrel having an open upper end, said barrel having anoutside diameter dimensioned to be gripped in the cleft of one handbetween the thumb and forefinger;

a grease dispensing head mounted on the upper end of said barrel, saiddispensing head comprising:

a cylindrical cap having a passage formed upwardly therethrough, saidcap having formed on the external periphery thereof a forwardlyextending handle securing means;

a cylinder having a bore formed therethrough transversely mounted onsaid cap and aligned with said handle securing means, said borecommunicating with said passage formed in said cap;

valve means secured in said bore forwardly of said passage;

an actuating handle rotatably secured intermediate its ends on saidhandle securing means, said handle providing a downwardly extendingfinger grip section and an upwardly extending bifurcated sectionstraddling said cylinder;

a saddle comprising a U-shaped member having a base and two legs, saidlegs being longitudinally aligned with said cylinder, said base beingdisposed rearwardly of said cylinder and secured to said piston, theforward portion of said saddle having means formed therein for receivingsaid bifurcated section of said handle, said bifurcated section of saidhandle being secured in said means,

a piston engaging the rearward portion of said saddle and extendingforwardly thereof into said bore of said cylinder;

spring means normally retaining said piston in said bore rearwardly ofsaid passage; and

a grease application pipe assembly threadably secured in the forward endof said cylinder and abutting said valve means.

1. A dispensing head for a hand grease gun comprising: a cylindrical caphaving a passage formed upwardly therethrough, said cap having formed onthe external periphery thereof a forwardly extending handle securingmeans; a cylinder having a bore formed therethrough transversely mountedon said cap and aligned with said handle securing means, said borecommunicating with said passage formed in said cap; valve means securedin said bore forwardly of said passage; an actuating handle rotatablysecured intermediate its ends on said handle securing means, said handleproviding a downwardly extending finger grip section and an upwardlyextending bifurcated section straddling said cylinder; a saddlecomprising a U-shaped member having a base and two legs, said legs beinglongitudinally aligned with said cylinder, said base being disposedrearwardly of said cylinder and secured to said piston, the forwardportion of said saddle having means formed therein for receiving saidbifurcated section of said handle, said bifurcated section of saidhandle being secured in said means; a piston engaging the rearwardportion of said saddle and extending forwardly thereof into said bore ofsaid cylinder; and spring means normally retaining said piston in saidbore rearwardly of said passage.
 2. The dispensing head of claim 1wherein said saddle includes a top member secured between the uppermostportions of said legs proximate the free ends thereof.
 3. The dispensinghead of claim 2 wherein the forward end of said cylinder is tapped toreceive a threaded grease pipe.
 4. The dispensing head of claim 3wherein said spring means is a coil spring having two ends, said coilspring encircling said piston with one of said ends bearing against saidbase of said U-shaped member and the other of said ends bearing againstsaid cylinder.
 5. The dispensing head of claim 4 wherein said handlesecuring means is a forwardly extending lug.
 6. The dispensing head ofclaim 5 wherein said upwardly extending bifurcated section comprises twoupwardly extending, parallelly disposed arms, the topmoSt portion ofsaid arms being of arcuate configuration; said arms being disposed atsubstantially right angles to the periphery of said cap.
 7. Thedispensing head of claim 6 wherein arm receiving cut-outs are formed inthe free ends of said legs for receiving the arcuate topmost portions ofsaid arms.
 8. The dispensing head of claim 7 wherein a forwardly facingshoulder is formed in said bore of said cylinder proximate the forwardend of said cylinder and proximate said tapped portion of said cylinder.9. The dispensing head of claim 8 wherein said valve means comprises: acircular valve retainer adapted to abut the forward portion of saidshoulder and having a bore formed therethrough, said bore in said valveretainer being of lesser diameter than said bore through said cylinder;and a resilient, one piece valve comprising an outer member ofcylindrical configuration having a rearward edge and a forward edge andformed from resilient material; a web formed from resilient material andhaving perforations formed therethrough, said web extending inwardly ofsaid outer member and secured to the inside surface of said outermember, a stop formed on said web centrally of said cylindrical outermember, said stop extending rearwardly of the rearward edge of saidouter member and extending into said bore formed through said valveretainer.
 10. The dispensing head of claim 9 wherein a rearwardly facingshoulder is formed externally of said cylinder on the rearward portionof said cylinder and adapted to secure the forward end of said coilspring and wherein the lower portion of said cap is internally threadedfor engagement with a grease barrel.
 11. In a miniaturized hand greasegun, the combination comprising: a cylindrical barrel having an openupper end, said barrel having an outside diameter dimensioned to begripped in the cleft of one hand between the thumb and forefinger; agrease dispensing head mounted on the upper end of said barrel, saiddispensing head comprising: a cylindrical cap having a passage formedupwardly therethrough, said cap having formed on the external peripherythereof a forwardly extending handle securing means; a cylinder having abore formed therethrough transversely mounted on said cap and alignedwith said handle securing means, said bore communicating with saidpassage formed in said cap; valve means secured in said bore forwardlyof said passage; an actuating handle rotatably secured intermediate itsends on said handle securing means, said handle providing a downwardlyextending finger grip section and an upwardly extending bifurcatedsection straddling said cylinder; a saddle comprising a U-shaped memberhaving a base and two legs, said legs being longitudinally aligned withsaid cylinder, said base being disposed rearwardly of said cylinder andsecured to said piston, the forward portion of said saddle having meansformed therein for receiving said bifurcated section of said handle,said bifurcated section of said handle being secured in said means, apiston engaging the rearward portion of said saddle and extendingforwardly thereof into said bore of said cylinder; spring means normallyretaining said piston in said bore rearwardly of said passage; and agrease application pipe assembly threadably secured in the forward endof said cylinder and abutting said valve means.